Devon artist raises £10,000 for special care babies
When Devon artist Jennie Rhodes was asked to create a picture in aid of the Torbay Special Care Baby Unit and Exeter Neonatal Unit, little did she realise the units’ tiny tots would play a major part in her design, which raised an amazing £10,000 at a charity auction.
Jennie’s aim was to produce a picture that was not only unique but also relevant to the babies cared for at the units, so she enlisted the help of Vanessa Diamond, Ward Sister at Torbay Hospital’s Special Baby Care Unit.
With parents’ permission, Vanessa and her staff captured the babies’ tiny footprints in pastel shades, which formed the inspiration for Jennie’s artwork.
Jennie Rhodes said, ‘I wanted to create a picture that was bright and happy and made people smile when they looked at it, and it seemed natural to turn the footprints into the petals of flowers. I thoroughly enjoyed making the picture and thank the staff for their help, Linden Homes for their generous bid, the parents and especially the babies whose footprints provided the focal point of the picture.
‘It’s such a lovely thought that the babies, most of whom are premature and need the units’ extra care and attention in their early weeks of life, helped to raise money that will go forward to help other babies in their situation. I was delighted at the how much money the picture raised and it’s one of my proudest achievements.’
The next chance to see Jennie’s work is when she exhibits as Made By Jennie at the Exeter Craft Festival held on the Cathedral Green on July 5, 6 and 7. She said, ‘I would love people to come and see my unique, personalised work.’
Linden Homes, which organised the auction at Torbay Golf Club, placed the winning bid of £9,750 – rounding it up to £10,000 after the auction – because a baby of one of its employees had received care at the Exeter Neonatal Unit.
Vanessa Diamond, Ward Sister at Torbay Hospital Special Care Baby Unit, said, ‘A massive thank you to Jennie for helping create this picture, especially as I gave her very little notice!
‘A big thank you also to Linden Homes who chose us to be their joint Charity of the Year for the Golf Day. This is a fantastic donation and will enable us to purchase an open incubator which allows us easier access to the bigger babies that need to come to the unit for support. We are also working to improve our facilities for families, and this will help us to purchase four pull-out beds enabling parents to stay with their babies.’
